Fukushima Nuclear Crisis Update for February 22nd to February 25th, 2013

Here’s the latest of our news bulletins from the ongoing crisis at Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

State of the Fukushima Reactors

The Mainichi Daily News has published a new exposé showing that significant amounts of radiation leaked from the crippled Fukushima reactors as they were melting down in March 2011, even before workers vented the vessel at reactor #1. The meltdowns damaged the vessels in which the reactors were housed, allowing dangerous radioactivity to leak into the environment. As a result, nearby residents were exposed to as much as 700 times the legal limit of radiation before evacuations were ordered. Although Fukushima Prefecture had installed 25 radiation monitoring posts around the plant before the disaster, five were swept out to sea as a result of the tsunami, and power loss prevented the remaining 20, although still able to measure radiation, from transmitting data. Confusion about evacuations was rampant as the meltdowns began to occur. Officials ordered those within 2 km to evacuate at 8:50 pm on March 11; those within 3 km to evacuate at 9:23 pm on March 11; and those within 10 km to evacuate at 5:33 am on March 12. However, most of the 50,000 residents affected did not even begin to flee until 8 am on the 12th. Officials did not start the venting process until 10 am on March 12, and by the time a hydrogen explosion occurred mid-afternoon, radiation levels had reached 1,591 microsieverts per hour.

But, analysts also surmise that the move to involve other countries is an effort to prevent Japan from developing sole expertise in what will eventually become a lucrative business, as almost 400 aging reactors worldwide will require decommissioning in the coming years and decades. A government official in Tokyo acknowledged, “There is suspicion in the international community that Japan may be aiming to secure interests in decommissioning work that will be needed in various parts of the world, by monopolizing technology attained in [decommissioning] the Fukushima Daiichi plant.”

Is nuclear power really worth it? Decommissioning a crippled reactor will give a person a job for 40 years if ,of course, he does not die from radiati...

Is nuclear power really worth it? Decommissioning a crippled reactor will give a person a job for 40 years if ,of course, he does not die from radiation. the heartache of being separated from their homes and families does not seem to bother the power companies. The displaced people are promised compensation but it is a slow go even after almost 2 years. The ocean is contaminated from radioactive leaks. What is the advantage of nuclear power other than to put money into the pockets of relatively few people. There are so many unknowns with the dangers of nuclear power. Please stop! Thank you Greenpeace.

Post a comment

To post a comment you need to be signed in.

OPTIONAL: Register to avoid filling out forms each time you post a comment
Sign Up Here
login via Facebook or Google

(Unregistered) Gary
says:

I can't find any official reports that confirm the dangers of low level radiation, and in fact most say there is no danger from the levels measured in Fukushima. The natural background levels in places like Ramsar in Iran are very much higher than what was experienced in Fukushima or even Chernobyl, yet people live longer in Ramsar than the average for the rest of the country, and the same goes for similar areas in China, India, Brasil, southern Australia.
Looks like the people of Fukushima should all go home and try to carry on where they left off.